HOW TO NOT GET RUN OVER

“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rodgers

A common image of a leader is that of a person standing in front of a group of people giving instructions. Think of Colin Powell standing at the front of the troops or giving a press release. The man commands attention. He is a real leader, not just “on the organizational chart” type of leader. He is not going to get run over.

How do you rate yourself as a leader? Whether you are just starting out in your career, or are a seasoned professional, you can be a leader. The more you demonstrate leadership in your job, the greater chance you’ll promote up into a leadership job. Not everyone is cut out to be a leader. Some seem to be “natural leaders.” Where are you on the leadership continuum; down at “wanna-be,” all the way up to “undisputed” or somewhere in the middle?

On Following

To be a great leader, you first have to be a great follower. You read that right! If you can’t follow, you can’t lead. Most people don’t want to be followers, but they do want to be led. Everyone is a little of both, because everyone has a boss. What are the attributes of a great follower? Here are a few characteristics:

• Humble
• Patient
• Creative
• Disciplined
• Persistent
• Flexible
• Confident

Hmmm. This list looks suspiciously like a list of qualities we seek and hope to find in a great leader. Until you can master these qualities as a follower, you can’t make the leap to leadership.

Look around you. No matter where you go or what you do, you will find leaders at every level of the organizational hierarchy. What qualities do they possess? Some of the above, I’m sure. But, what else did they have that made them leaders? That is your real-life example of a leader. What qualities that they have can you adopt? What qualities do you have trouble adopting, never mind mastering? This is your on-the-job training opportunity for leadership.

Leadership Excellence

How do you learn leadership skills and then put that into effect in your career? Easy, you demonstrate excellent leadership to the most important person in the world. Yourself.

Your ability to lead you is reflected everyday in the job you do, the relationships you have with co-workers or family and friends. In order to lead yourself, you must be a follower of yourself. Can you follow your own lead?

What exactly do I mean? Answer the following questions with yes, sometimes/maybe or no answers. Give yourself 3 points for each yes, 2 points for each maybe/sometimes, and 1 point for each no.

1.   Do you always do what you say you will do?

2.   Do you communicate with clarity and understanding to the level of your audience?

3.   Do you make people feel at ease with you?

4.   Is your attitude positive and optimistic?

5.   Do you know your job and what is expected of you?

6.   Are you willing to help others?

7.   Are you prepared to do your job every day?

8.   Are you using your sense of humor to break down barriers and connect with others?

9.   Are you creative at finding solutions to challenges?

10. Are you sincere in your efforts and relationships?

11. Do you have a good reputation?

12. Do you embrace change?

13. Are you willing to proceed (on a decision or project direction), even if it is the unpopular choice?

14. Are you consistent in all these elements?

How did you score? A perfect score is 42.

39 – 42           You are great leadership material

34 – 38          Good leadership potential

24 – 33           You’ve got more work to do than you think

17 – 23           You are not even a good follower

16 or less       The boss maybe thinking about sending you to HR!

So, don’t just sit there dreaming about becoming a leader. You have to “walk the talk” and start doing the things that leaders do. You start by leading yourself. This is about your personal journey to achieve 42 on the above assessment in leading yourself. If you do an excellent job there, the boss and your co-workers will notice. The closer you get to scoring 42, the more opportunities will come your to demonstrate your leadership to a wider and wider audience. Perhaps, someday, you’ll even be the CEO. It’s possible!

Need help getting to 42? Don’t hesitate to call me, get on the right track, and move towards scoring 42 on your leadership. You don’t want to get run over by not taking action.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund eal@EALCoaching.com

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail:

5 EASY STEPS TO MANAGING CHANGE

“Map out your future, but do it in pencil.” – Jon Bon Jovi

What kind of advice is that? What I want to emphasize is the importance of staying flexible. Change happens. It is really the only constant in your life. Each person has a unique reaction to change. Some people embrace change, some to the point of seeking it out. For those who accept change reluctantly, if at all, that is a radical concept. Where are you on the scale? “1” hates change, “3” is neutral to change, “5” embraces change:

1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5

Just as everyone reading this article, will have a different reaction to change, so it is true for the people you supervise. It is important to realize the variety of reactions you will get when you go to implement a change. When you have big changes, you also get big reactions. So what is a manager to do?

No matter the reason for the change, it is important to consider and involve your staff. They see you as having all the information. They have no information, but they do have rumor and imagination. These are trying times we live in. Bad news is all over media. When people are in the dark, they imagine the worst.

Here is a five-step process to help navigate through the change in a least scathed manner. Change is hard for some people. They will not change without a fight. Be prepared for that, and you’re halfway there.

Communication

First and foremost, is you must communicate. Tell the truth, the WHOLE truth. That is how you build trust. Tell staff everything you know. If you don’t know, say that. Do NOT make something up just to give them an answer. Knowledge is power, so you are empowering your staff by giving them information. Be transparent. Address resistance as it pops up. It isn’t going to go away. Focus on solutions, the good this change will bring. Actively listen to staff. Being heard is vital to them, now more than ever. A great way to involve employees is to solicit feedback. What do they see as the positives? What do they see as the best way to address some of the challenges?

The main things employees want to know are just three things:

1. What is changing?

2. What will actually be different because of the change?

3. Who is going to lose what?

If you address these issues honestly and openly, you will keep most of your staff. Be aware this change might be just what motivates someone to seek other employment. That’s good. They wouldn’t be part of the solution anyway. I’m sure these were the questions on your mind too, when you first heard about the change. Start an inventory of the barriers to productivity as you move through the changes. What is preventing you moving forward?

Help Them Let Go

Identify who is losing what. What are they really losing? It maybe colleagues or a process they enjoy. Whatever it is, expect subjective reactions. Be prepared for over-reactions. Remember, their world of work is shifting under their feet. They will need time to adjust. Be empathetic, their loss is real to them. Even if it is a change to a process that “everyone” hates, it is familiar to them, whereas, the change is unknown.

Grief

Expect them to grieve their loss(es). Learn about grief and learn the signs. There are five stages to grief in the respected Kübler-Ross [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Stages_of_Grief ] model (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). People will walk around, not smiling, no joking in the halls. To help them (and thus you) define what is over. Mark the endings (this is our last …). Treat the past with respect. It is their work, don’t minimize the effort. There was good in the old, just like there will good in the new. Let people take a piece of the old with them; an old job duty or, if a move is involved, an object. Allow time for healing to take place. Don’t rush the process; let the process be your friend. Finally, don’t mistake grief for low morale.

Transitions

As you transition between the old and the new, develop a strategy for change that takes into account the initial resistance. As the change moves through its stages, keep everyone up-to-date. These progress reports will be very helpful in allaying fears in your staff. Evaluate what has happened thus far. If you or the company needs to make a course correction, include that in your progress reports. If you know why, include that too. Support calculated risk-taking by your staff. It may not be the exact change you anticipated, but it may be better at the end of the day. Look for opportunities to brainstorm. Nobody has all the correct answers. Brainstorming will also inform you of perceived obstacles by your staff. Then you can inform people with what you know or include these into your course corrections. Transitioning is a process, too. Don’t rush for closure too soon. Let the process be your friend.

Build New Relationships

Help to build a new employee relationship. Eliminate non-essential tasks. Provide a participatory environment with employee voices and choices. I know, this may be scary and uncharted territory for you. The rewards are worth it. So let go of your need to control. Trust your staff, just as they trust you. Settle into the new ways and rhythms before doing any long-term career planning. To make your performance and reward system relevant, ask staff, “How do you want to be rewarded?” Money may not be the carrot they want.

What else?

What else can you do? Avoid the “all or nothing” thinking that often accompanies trauma. Change is traumatic. Be gentle, but firm with people. Stay consistent. That way you maintain a stable appearance. Practice self-care and manage your stress. That will help you stay consistent and stable. Behave like someone we respect.

Find and communicate the good side to the change. “Change your thoughts, and you change your world” (Norman Vincent Peale). When you believe this change is for the better, your staff will (finally) believe you. Capitalize on the WIIFM syndrome (what’s in it for me?). You will get more of what you want by finding a way to give people more of what they want. This is an opportunity for decision-making. Listen carefully and use it wisely. As the saying goes, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” Trying to lift morale after a big change is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm. Not so effective is it? Let people process through their grief at their pace. You’ll know when they are ready to move on. Seize that moment and capitalize on it. Do an inventory of what you do control. Then let go of what you can’t control. That’s a move towards sanity all by itself.

            “Hope is not a strategy. We have to plan.” (Dr. Julie Gerberding)

Don’t hope for the best. PLAN for the best outcome, and you’ll get it.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

BE SMART AND IT’S A WRAPP

I was cleaning out the garage and came upon some old notes about setting goals. Now that I am done with all that cleaning fun (yeah, right), I thought I’d share my notes with you. The notes are pre-1989. Yes, they are vintage! But, I think this different angle on setting goals may resonant with you.

Both methods use an acronym to keep the process memorable.

SMART Goals
First, what are we doing here in the 21st Century? We are all about SMART goals. You know:

Specific – Have a narrow scope for your goal. If your goal is huge, use smaller goals to get to the big one. E.g., “get a job” is too big of a goal. Break it down into “send out 10 résumés per week tailored for each job posting” is a better goal. Is this something you can accomplish?

Measureable – Find a way to measure your progress. You want to be able to see and measure your progress. The above “ten résumés” nails this requirement.

Achievable – Ensure your goal is in your control. Yes, it passes the test. Sending out résumés is entirely in my control. The quantity could be problematic. How many job openings do you really find? Is it possible for you to succeed at this goal?

Resonate – Does your goal excite you? Do you really want to do this? If you don’t want a job, then this is not your goal. It might be a family member’s goal for you. Who is driving this goal? If it isn’t you, change the goal!

Time-bound – Have deadlines. In the job search, sending out ten résumés per week might be a stretch in this economy. You might only find five opening per week. When will you do it and when will you finish it?

“I’ll publish my book.” This goal is not in my control. That makes it unachievable. It is not specific enough either. It does resonate with me. Sending it to 10 publishers is in my control and is achievable. Sending it out to 10 publishers by September 15th ensures it will get done. That’s a SMART goal.

WRAPP Goals

There are multiple words for each letter. Here they are:

W – Willing, wants

R – Readiness, risk
A – Abilities, assets
P – Possibilities, predictions
P – Probabilities (future)

Create alternatives to what you are currently doing or what is currently available. Get information and be broad in your application. For example, you want to be a teacher. But, a broader view means you could teach in public schools and private schools.

Using the acronym, define your problem. Gather all the information you need to find a way to move forward. When you have two or a bunch of alternatives, begin narrowing them down. Take action on your alternative of choice. Review the decision. Take responsibility for your decision – right or wrong. Take responsibility for making the decision and in acting on the decision. Keep on track. If wrong, start again with the new information you have now gained.

Here are some questions to assist you in WRAPP-ing up your goals.

• What are you willing to do?
• What do you want to do?
• Are you ready right now?
• What do you need to become ready?
• What risks will you take to achieve your goal?
• What abilities do you have (or need to learn) to accomplish your goal?
• What assets do you have (or need to obtain) to accomplish your goal?
• What are the possibilities that are available to you or that you see to accomplish this goal. Let’s say you want to be a teacher. Both public school and various private schools are possibilities for you to teach.
• Can you predict what the outcome of different paths will be for you?
• What is the probability of this working out for you in the way you have imagined?

Let’s expand the teaching scenario for Pat.

• Pat is willing to teach high school. Pat enjoys kids, so she can say she wants to do it. However, Pat is not ready to teach.
• Pat is ready to go to school and get the teaching credential. During her information gathering, she found out that her BS degree (biology) plus one year more of a full-time class-load will get her a teaching credential. She is willing to take the risk of going back to school full-time and live on the one paycheck her spouse brings home. Is Pat’s spouse on board with her goals and the risk?
• Pat has the ability to accomplish her goal. She feels she has the assets (some savings, unemployment insurance and a student loan) to accomplish her goal.
• Is the only possibility to go back to school for a credential? She could take the C-Best test and become a substitute teacher in biology or general education. She could sub while going back to school. A private school uses only C-Best teachers, but the pay very low there.
• Can Pat predict the out come of both paths? Going back to school full time seems to be easier with the two children and her husband to care for at the same time. Substitute teaching looks like a bigger risk (no unemployment and unknown how often she’ll be called to teach).
• What is the best probable outcome for her? Pat decides to go to school full-time. Since no one at the school district knows her, she feels she won’t be called often enough. Pat decides to contact several schools to network. She thinks this will also provide useful information as she prepares for her new future.

Whether you WRAPP up your goals or make them SMART, here are two techniques for you to use. Two more tools for your toolbox. Both methods will help you make better and more informed decisions.

If you make a mistake – it is OK. You did the best you could, with what you knew at the time. That is how you learn. When you first started to walk, you made many mistakes. You fell all the time. It was OK. It was expected. You lived through it. I’m sure Mom or Dad have cute stories about it too. The important part is that you kept trying until you were successful.

It isn’t the mistake; it is what you do afterwards that counts. If the mistake makes you curl up in a ball and not try again – that is wrong. If it makes you want to try again – that is right. Examine your mistakes, decide what you need to learn from them, let them go and move onwards and upwards. People who don’t make mistakes don’t do things. You are doing and trying. All good.

This Week’s Coaching

Set some goals. Use one method for some, and the other for the rest. Let me know which method appeals to you. Which method will you actually use? Which method worked best for you?

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN

There seems to be a new way of talking to each other that includes using exaggerated words that immediately takes you to an extreme position. I have even noticed this in the everyday pleasantries at the stores. No longer am I told to ‘have a good day’. Now I’m told to ‘have a great day’. Is great better than good? Do I need to have a great day everyday?

Of course having a ‘great day’ is at least a positive exaggeration. Although a friend jokingly said, “I can’t stand the pressure to have a great day. It makes me feel bad when my day is only good.” I am not positive my friend was completely joking. Therein lays a problem with using exaggerated language. You have to be at an extreme position. I am happy for all my good days. I am happy for my bad days too. Bad days make my good days sweeter. Some days, are just … ok – neither good nor bad. Just another day that happened. How un-extreme can you get?

At its worst, extreme language can incite riots, hate crimes and other violence. At the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing on April 16, 2010, Bill Clinton said, “the words we use really do matter.”

The Words We Use Really Do Matter

Former President Clinton said incendiary language might be taken the wrong way by some people. “But what we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that we should reduce our passion for the positions we hold, but that the words we use really do matter because there are – there’s this vast echo chamber. And they go across space and they fall on the serious and the delirious, alike; they fall on the connected and the unhinged, alike,” he said.

When you use extreme language, people who don’t know you well, don’t know how to gauge the seriousness of your speech. They may act on your speech in ways you don’t anticipate. Haven’t we all said, “I’ll kill so and so, if they do such.” What if the person you were talking to actually killed that person? I can hear you now, “Everyone knows (or should have known) I was just upset/kidding.” Why? Say what you mean (I’m very upset with so and so for wanting to do this), and mean what you what you say (it will bother me or anger me).

A Contentious Time

More people were working harder for less. And now, we have the highest percentage of Americans who’ve been out of work for six months or more than we have had in decades. This can be disorienting. People are looking for anchors to make life simple and understandable, and sometimes with the idea that they need to go back to an idyllic time that never existed. So then, Arizona passes a law based on how you look. All of this is really about how to feel secure in the face of insecurity, how to feel ordered in the face of apparent chaos.

However, we can’t let the debate veer so far into hatred that we lose focus of our common humanity. That is very important. We can’t ever fudge the fact that there is a basic line dividing criticism from violence or its advocacy. And the closer you get to the line, and the more responsibility you have, the more you have to think about the echo chamber in which your words resonate. We live in a highly contentious, partisan and uncertain time.

The same is true in the language being used today. The media is “this vast echo chamber” and that language is falling “on the serious and delirious alike.” When you demonize someone, you can’t claim surprise when someone then acts violently towards them. You have to take the responsibility for your words and your actions. Mr. Clinton went on, "But remember, words have consequences as much as actions do, and what we advocate, commensurate with our position and responsibility, we have to take responsibility for.”

Simple Solutions

Part of the allure of extreme language is that it removes all the gray areas. It removes most of the complexities of the discussion, and boils it down to “us” versus “them”. And, “us” is right and “them” is wrong. It closes the discussion. It creates a shouting match, where the louder voice wins. Often that louder voice is an abusive voice. In eliminating all the gray areas, it artificially simplifies things. It appears that the solution is simple. Of course, the right way is my way.

Our world is a complex place, full of different ways of thinking, of being, and of living. We have a variety of religions, governments and philosophies. That can make it a scary place when you only think in terms of right or wrong, “us” or “them.” If you don’t learn about these differences, it can be scary because you don’t know “them” or what they are thinking. So it is better to condemn “them” first and learn about “them” second. You can’t be too careful, you know. That is an emotional response. Much as standing in a theater and shouting “fire” is an emotional response. It gets people moving, but in a chaotic way; in a way that causes more damage and less solution.

Instead, we should be open the richness of the discussion. All those points of view see things that other views don’t. If you have a busy intersection, with four people each standing on a different corner, each one will see a different car accident in the center of the intersection. That is true even if each one is the same gender, religion, ethnic group, etc. That doesn’t make one of the people wrong and another right. It just means each person sees it from a different angle and reaches a different conclusion. Or maybe they reach the same conclusion, but for a different reason.

That makes the viewers of the accident all right AND all wrong. All only have a piece of the entire accident. It is only when you put all the viewpoints together do you have a complete picture. When everyone comes together to the discussion and airs their points of view in an open and respectful atmosphere, do you start to see a whole picture. Then compromise can enter and a viable solution can be found.

We all want the world to make sense. But it won’t be found in strident, extreme language. It won’t be found in artificially simple solutions. It won’t be found only in emotions or only in rational thinking. Instead of dividing ourselves into the “us” and ‘them” camps, let us come together. Let us celebrate our differences. In the celebration will come learning about each other. Perhaps a new way of looking at old problems. And in that new way of looking, a new solution. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Perhaps it will be just a different solution. Only when diversity comes together and is shared, do you have a complete picture. The whole story. And only then, can real solutions be found and implemented. What we have in common is more important than our differences.

This week’s coaching:

Say only what you mean.

1.       Examine your language and word choices this week.

2.      Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.

3.      Avoid using extreme language or incendiary language.

4.      Use the power of your words in the direction of truth.

5.      Carry a positive tone in your words and be a constructive contributor to the conversations around you.

6.      Find out what you have in common with those around you.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

ARE YOU DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP?

“Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity. You’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted and you’ll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance, because some people might get upset. Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad and by treating everyone equally “nicely,” regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.” Colin Powell said that about organizational leadership.

I think this is also true for your personal leadership. The leadership you demonstrate in and of your own life. If you are waiting for the next job, the next relationship or for when you’ve lost 10 pounds to do anything, you are not demonstrating leadership in your own life. What you are doing is being complacent and waiting for one of these things to “fix” things for you. You are avoiding “the tough decisions” that you need to make about your health, your career, your relationships or whatever is tough for you.

You are avoiding “confronting the people who need to be confronted.” You need to confront yourself and demand the same level of respect and responsibility that you expect from others, from yourself! Yes, this may upset you. It will probably upset those around you too. They will think you aren’t “nice” anymore. I have seen clients bend over backwards to provide respect to others and be responsible for others, but who can’t get out of their own way to solve their own problems.

Find and Fix Problems

Our culture often defines asking for help as weakness or failure, so people cover up their gaps, and everyone suffers accordingly. Define your problems down to the small details. ‘Know the enemy,’ as the saying goes. That way you can better define your solution. Be as objective as you possibly can. Keep asking yourself, “Am I part of the solution or part of the problem?”

Let’s take an example. Chris hates her job. It pays well enough, but it doesn’t fit her personality or her work-style. She told me that her “family won’t let me change jobs.” Hmmm. I had to ask, “why not?” It came out that her family has a tradition of being attorneys, so she is in the family business. However, she hates writing, doesn’t like being cooped up in an office and really doesn’t think she has anything in common with the other corporate attorneys in the office. When I asked, "Who is living Chris’s life," she answered “my family.” She had abdicated leadership for her own career.

When I asked, “What does Chris’s life would look like to Chris?” She answered she longs for the great outdoors and to work with and in nature. When we drilled down for the details, it turns out that Chris chose what to wear to work, what car to buy, where to live, and more. It was more of an “expectation” that she stay in the family business. Chris eventually decided only Chris could live Chris’s life. We did some brainstorming, and she decided to transition to environmental law as a first step. Once she took leadership back for her own life, she felt confident about her choices and could make the big decisions.

I understand other people have expectations of how we should be running our lives, but they are not in charge of what we choose to do. This responsibility lies squarely on our own shoulders – and it is a big responsibility! If not, we would not put so much time and energy into trying to hand it off to someone else, where it doesn’t belong.

Giving away the leadership for your own life will leave you feeling powerless and stuck. Taking leadership gives you the power and momentum you need to move forward.

This whole concept can be both frightening and liberating. Frightening because it gives me access to more choices than I ever thought I had – and choices equal power; liberating because suddenly I can pursue any life, dream, career, relationship that I choose to pursue. Remember, things don't just happen to you. You have power to decide what your life will be like.

If there is something, someone, some career, some place to live, etc. that you really, really want – you are the only one who can get it for yourself. And – this is the tough part – no one can prevent you from pursuing it unless you let them.

The first step toward transforming yourself, your work, your relationships and your life starts with Taking Leadership for Your Own Life. You are moving forward to the life you want. Keep asking yourself, “Am I part of the solution or part of the problem?”

Want more help? Contact me and we’ll get you where you want to go.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

What is your mission statement?

Why have a mission statement? I believe we all have a purpose or mission in life. You know in your heart what is most important to you. Most of the time your values and mission are reflected by how you live your life. You may not even realize how you are broadcasting your values. Sometimes, life gets in the way. Making someone else happy or satisfying their needs takes precedence. That is when you get weary. When you lose your spark. When you feel “out of synch.” When you feel out of balance. That is when you are out of balance with your personal mission statement. Knowing when to make someone else happy or yourself happy gives you a guide or map to living consciously and deliberately. If you take the time to think about what your priorities are, you will know what to do next. When the day-to-day clutter of living gets in your way, everything can seem like a priority. The old saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” is true. What is competing most for your attention can throw you off your course of what is important to you. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? Today, we're going to help you find the right words to put that mission down on paper. I’m going to pose a series of statements that only you can answer or finish. There are no “right or wrong” answers. Only what is right for you. When you think about a personal mission statement, you need to think about your whole life. For your life to be “in balance,” you have to consider all the elements in your life. Here is a list for you to consider as elements that make up a whole life:

1) Work / Career 2) Family / Friends 3) Spiritual / Religion 4) Health & Wellbeing 5) Fun / Recreation 6) Money / Finances 7) Physical Environment 8) Personal Growth 9) Significant other / Partner / Spouse THE STATEMENTS Complete the following statements as they are true for you today. Not as you think you “should” be. And, not for as you were last year or want to be next year. Truth, for you today.

• Five positive characteristics that define me are …
• For each of the five characteristics, write down an action you take to express those traits.
• My best talents and skills are …
• I use money to …
• My natural talents and gifts are …

These are the elements of your mission statement! Good job! You now have the beginning of a mission statement built on a foundation of your values. You have more clarity into you want to be and to do in your life. You can also start to detect the values and principles upon which your life is based. I encourage you to write and revise your mission statement until you feel it reflects your mission and values. Distill it down to a paragraph or even a sentence, that is meaningful to you. With permission, here are some for you to read. Some will appeal to you. Others won't. You'll see that mission statements come in all shapes and sizes, just like people. They were created for a unique purpose and person. “I want to experience life’s passions with the newness of a child’s love, the sweetness and joy of young love, and the respect and reverence of mature love.”

“My mission is to give, for giving is what I do best and I can learn to do better.”

Mahatma Gandhi captured his mission statement in a short list of active statements. You can create your mission in this style, starting each sentence with "I shall" or "I will." “Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day: * “I shall not fear anyone on Earth. * “I shall fear only God. * “I shall not bear ill will toward anyone. * “I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. * “I shall conquer untruth by truth. * “And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”

“My journey is about helping people. I see people the way they ‘really are’ and help them manifest that life.”

“I want to be the kind of person my dog already thinks I am.”

“I am joy, love and laughter. My mission is spread joy, love and laughter every where I go.” LIFE IS AN ONGOING PROCESS So is your mission statement. Life is a journey. Your mission statement is your map. "Organizing your life around the many roles you play will help you maintain balance and focus on your key relationships rather than focusing on tasks and things." Stephen R Covey

Over the years, your circumstances will change. Your priorities will change. Your goals and dreams will change. That's okay - because change means growth. As you grow, transform, and broaden your horizons, allow yourself the freedom to expand and refine your mission statement. For now, congratulate yourself on a job well done. Tell your friends about your newly stated purpose in life. The next step is learning how to live your mission. Maybe it's easy, but maybe it takes some guidance. I’m here to help. Call me and let's find the path to fulfill your mission.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

Sometimes Being Nice is Mean

As managers, a day without confrontation is a day of sunshine. Right? Instead of having one bad day and getting over it, continuing to avoid confrontation will just keep it in the background, sometimes for years. This is a recipe for a dysfunctional department with no discipline, lots of scheming and kvetching. It leaves employees hanging loose, not knowing where they stand. Worse, it leaves them to their own imagination. By avoiding an unpleasant conversation, you allow something worse, a festering problem that will grow. It may become the standard for that employee and it may spread to others. Employees know what the true measure of their performance is, and if one employee "gets away" with something, they will try to also. Short-term niceness is heartless in the long term. You doom the problem employee to non-improvement. Everyone realizes it is a deceptive peace and quiet. "In a knowledge economy, where work is more complex and interdependent, people need feedback more — what they particularly need feedback on are on things that are difficult to give: one's interpersonal style," says David Bradford, a lecturer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Your employees want to improve and continue learning. But if you don’t give meaningful feedback, they will stagnate. They may adjust their performance or they may go elsewhere. As one employee said, "(my boss) would dance around the aspects of my reports that needed improvement. … I never knew exactly where I stood." Bad news will not crush the employee if delivered tactfully, honestly, to the point and in a timely manner. Your time spent to "nip it in the bud" or train someone how to write the report right the first time, will pay dividends later. Those dividends will be in all the time not dealing with the issue and all the "real" work you will be able to do. Here are some points to assist you in helping your staff. For feedback on job skills, ask yourself, "Do I use generalities? Do I use a one-size fits all type of comment? Or, do I use meaningful detail to illustrate my points? Do I use a ‘what & why’ in my comments"

• Good comment: "I think that organizing the data by type of event order will have greater value. It will be easier to analyze where the peak usage times are and where we are under allocated in resources.
• Bad comment: "Pay greater attention to detail."

For feedback on interpersonal issues, ask yourself, "Do I focus on the behavior, not the employee? Am I responding in a timely manner?"

• Good comment: "When you interrupt people when they are talking, it is disrespectful and you miss important information."
• Bad comment: "You have a bad attitude."

Employers and employees are looking for people with more than leadership skills and qualities. Employees see in these qualities evidence of effective leaders whom they can also trust. Are your "go to" leadership skills as effective as you want them to be?

I offer a FREE, 30-minute consultation to provide a "trial run" for you. It will give you an opportunity to experience my style firsthand and see if it is a good fit for you. If you would like to explore how executive and life coaching can benefit you, here is how we get started: Contact me now for your complimentary consultation Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

Article idea and quotes taken from: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/careers/bal-bosses0303,0,2384662.story

I was coaching a client on honing their leadership skills. My client suggested I put it down in writing for others to benefit. Great idea. Great client! You have achieved success. You’re making progress — but something is missing. It’s taking too long. When the boss wants the report out "yesterday," it’s hard to practice on your leadership development. One of the outstanding golfers of our time is Tiger Woods. He has a coach. A coach takes an athlete’s natural ability and hones it to outstanding ability by working with the athlete toward a specific goal. It is the focus of the coach and the client that reinforces the learning and makes it stick. What is the ability that you want to make outstanding, to develope further? Leadership Are you taking people with you? Or are you having to push them along? Managing means the planning, organizing, coordinating and directing to utilize assets for maximum effect with minimum cost. Assets usually fall into five basic areas of People, Time, Equipment, Training and Money. Which one of these assets is the most volatile and dynamic? People! Is a manager different from a supervisor? Yes. How? The Supervisor is on the frontlines of the implementation process. Managers direct and organize the resources to create the reality of the vision. They set the goals. Supervisors develop the capabilities of individuals to implement the vision into processes and systems for execution. Many managers only want short-term success. Managers are pulled in multiple directions as they address various business issues, implement objectives and balance the needs of everyone. If management is maximizing assets, then what is leadership? Leadership is motivating people In other words, it is getting people to accept ownership of their job, duties and responsibilities. Leadership is achieving results through others. Can someone be on the front lines and be a leader? Absolutely. The formal leader is the one who is designated as the leader. An informal leader is the individual all of the people in the group go to when there is a problem or question. Watch the people in your group, you will see whom the others migrate to when there is a problem. There is your future leader. Is a leader always the person who does the technical aspects of a job best? No. Is it good for managers to become leaders? Yes. Managers are people-pushers – Leaders are people-pullers. How does one develop credibility and consistency as a leader? Know thyself! Know what you stand for. Know what you will not stand for. And how does that tie into the company mission statement? One way to do that is to develop a personal mission statement for yourself. You first define what matters most to you. What are your values, highest priorities, attributes and qualities? Then you create a plan of action for what matters most to you. What are the goals you want to achieve? Goals are dreams with deadlines. Then you act in accordance with those plans and what matters most to you. "The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value." — Stephen R Covey Leadership Results Employers and employees are looking for people with more than leadership skills. They are also looking for people with leadership qualities. Employees see in these qualities evidence of effective leaders whom they can also trust. Leaders with the courage to step up to the difficult moment, the tough challenge, the risky decision. Leaders whose skills and humanity shine through. Leaders who are genuine. Contact me now to improve your leadership qualities Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com